Thursday, December 15, 2011

My apologies for posting this late. I had technical difficulties yesterday and had to spend the good part of the day/evening moving from a hotel to a corporate apartment on the other side of town. My quality of living went from a 4 to a 7. Even my dogs are happier in the new temporary place. So I'm definitely in the mood to announce some winners and give away some gifts.

Winner of the Starbucks gift card:

Spades High Reads

Winner of the iTunes gift card:

Just Peachy 36

Winner of the Amazon gift card or equivalent value from The Book Depository:

Jenni L aka Red Hearts XO

I will send out email notifications to the winners, as well as sending a tweet shout out since it has been far too long since I've hung out in Twitterverse.

Congratulations to all winners, a big thank you to every participant, and happy holiday shopping to all!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

You have 48 hours to contact me at isis@isisrushdan.com to claim your prize.

Congratulations!!

Now, the monthly post for the Insecure Writers’ Group started by the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh.

As writers our craft and our characters can sometimes consume us. We get so caught up in patching a plot hole, figuring out how to create deeper conflict, layering more emotion, finding the perfect word, finding an elusive unicorn (aka Agent), or selling to a publishing house that we forget the most important thing of all. Writing is not your life. Or at least I hope it isn’t.

For some, it is an outlet for creativity. For others, it is a calling. Either way, when you’re feeling insecure about your process, your pages, or your future as a writer, don’t forget to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Last week a friend of mine, a fellow writer, lost her husband. He was sick and she had a difficult year spending lots of time in the hospital. Losing a spouse is never easy, but it is definitely harder around the holidays.

When I heard the news, my heart broke for her and I reached out as soon as I could. It also reminded me of what’s most important in my life, what my priorities are and how to put my insecure moments in perspective relative to the bigger picture.

Does counting your blessings instead of your problems help to lighten your load of troubles? If not, then what does?

To access the rest of the blogs participating in the support group, click HERE.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

This month I have two great giveaways. First up is one for book lovers. Thanks to I Am A Reader and Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy for putting this hop together.

Two winners will each receive any ONE book of their choice from Amazon or The Book Depository. The value of the book must be under $20. This is an international giveaway.

Rules are super easy:

1. You MUST be a follower of my blog to enter and leave a comment telling me one of your favorite books. Yes, I will check to make sure you are a follower.

2. If you also follow me on Twitter, you will be entered a second time, increasing your chances of winning. Leave your Twitter handle in the comments section for verification.

Once again, I’m not giving away gift cards this time, only books.

The two winners will be announced on 7 Dec, no later than noon EST (Eastern Standard Time). You will have 48 hours to contact me to claim your prize, so that means you’ll need to check back to see if you won.